We All Need a Recombobulation Area

Today I travelled through the Milwaukee airport and saw the sign above – which has evidently been there for a few years. I shared a laugh with a few fellow travelers as we googled our way to confirming that while “recombobulation ” is not a recognized word, it perfectly captures that post-TSA state we all face while traveling. No matter how prepared and experienced we are as travelers, we all shuffle, shoeless and bearing our toiletries in see-through bags, past the x-ray to these little way stations where we can put ourselves back together, ready to face the world.

This got me to thinking about how we could all benefit from a recombobulation station at work. We become discombobulated at work for many reasons. We say things we shouldn’t, we fail to take action when we should, our projects fail to soar, and we otherwise fail to meet our expectations of ourselves. If anyone wants to build a recombobulation area for the workplace, here are a few requirements it will need to meet:

* Provide a temporal rewind capability to provide for do-overs
* Deliver soothing assurances that “this too shall pass” when one is experiencing the dark side of accountability
* Remind the user to breathe slowly and deeply when panic approaches
* Send a message to your supporters that you could use a kind word or a pat on the back when all else fails

What other capabilities would you like to see in your personal workplace recombobulation area?